Apparatus for compressing creped wadding



Nov. 24, 1942. R. K NELLER APPARATUS FOR COMPRESSING CREPED WADDIN 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 Eled Dec; 24, 1958 DNJDDOpDDDDDD VIL Nov. 24, 1942. R. K. NELLER APPARATUS FCR COMPRESSING-CREPED WADDING Filed Dec. 24, 1938 '7 Sheets-Sheet 2 ,W M, f ,m6 Q, m,

Nev. 24, 1942. R. n NELLER APPARATUS FOR COMPRESSING CREPD WADDING 'Filed use. 24, 193s v v sheets-sheet s Nav. 24, 1942. R. lc NELLER 2,303,087 f APPARATUS Fon 'couPnEssINe cnEPEn mamme i Fired nee. 24.` 193e v sheets-smet 4 @www 3&5

Nav. 24, 1942. Y R. K NELLER 2,303,087

APPARATUS Fon aouPnEssING' GREPED wADnINs Filed Dec. 24, 1938 '7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Nov. 24, 1942. Y n. n NELLER 2,303,037 Arrwnus Fon cournssme cnEPEn wAnnING Film1 nec. 24, 195e 'r sheets-.sheet e .di 0 i Nov. 24, 1942. R. K. NELLER APPARATUS FOR COMPRESSING CREPED WADDING Filed Dec. 24, 1958 '7 Sheets-Sheet 7 rinvii) sections.

Patented Nov. 24, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS Fon coMrREssING CREPED WADDING Application December 24, 1938, Serial No. 247,561

Y (Cl. 154-1) 8 Claims.

This invention relates to an apparatus for compressing pads or bats, comprising superposed sheets or plies of creped wadding, endwise or in a direction substantially perpendicular to the creping therein, for the purpose of 'converting a high bulk and low density article temporarily into a low bulk and high density product of substantially the same width and thickness for storage andfor shipment, which latter product may be restored at any time by longitudinal expansion thereof to a low density high bulk condition so as to render it suitable for use.

In an application filed by Charles A. Fourness and John B. Catlin on December 7, 1936, Serial No. 114,590, and owned bythe assignee of the present invention, there is disclosed an apparatus for effecting the compression of pads or bats of creped wadding inthe manner above described, consisting of a press so constructed as to define a rectangular chamber of substantially the same dimensions as the bat, or pile of superposed bats, to be compressed, and a plunger or ram slidable 1n said chamber.

The general object of the present invention is to provide an improved apparatus for compressing the bats, and especially bats of considerable length, operating on a different principle, and by which any number of bats can be successively an air blower and moistener to check or prevent re-expansion of the compressed bats as they emerge from the magazine section. The trans- Y fer plates guide the bats from the delivery end and continuously compressed in a continuous op-A eration of the machine.

AThe present invention is based on the principle of a plurality of conveyor sections disposed end to end and operating at different speeds, the first section, into which the uncompressed bats are fed operating at a hmh'speed, and the succeeding section or sections operating at a much lower speed, so that the bats undergo endwise compression as they travel 'through the In the preferred embodiment of the invention herein illustrated and hereinafter described in detail I employ a first or feed conveyor operating at a high speed which may be around 100 feet per minute, and which I term the fast conveyor, a second conveyor operating preferably at from one-six-th to one-tenth of the speed of the first or fast conveyor, and which I term the slow conveyor, and a third conveyor operating at approximately the same speed as the second section, which I term the magazine section. the wadding travels between a pair of transfer plates, and between the second and third sections the compressed bats also travel between a pair of transfer plates that are preferably aper- Between the first and second sections tured for the passage of damp air supplied by 55 of one conveyor into the receiving end of the next conveyor, and prevent buckling at the gaps. Means are provided for adjusting the vertical spacing of the upper and lower belts of each conveyor, so that bats of vvarying thicknesses may be handled.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated an apparatus embodying the invention which in actual practice has been found to give highly satisfactory results, and referring to the drawings- Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic longitudinal section on line l-I of Fig. 2 of the general assembly.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of the central portion of the assembly in which the compression of the wadding and its transfer to th slow moving conveyor takes place.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged side elevation, partially in vertical longitudinal section, of the delivery end of the apparatus, showing also a moistening device.

Fig. 5 is a top plan view partly in horizontal -section of the portion of the apparatus shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a vertical transverse section, taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is a rear elevation of the drive mechanism for driving the slow conveyor from the fast conveyor.

Fig. 8 is a vertical transverse section through the moistener, taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 9 is a vertical transverse section, taken online 9--9 of Fig. 3, showing upper springpressed .rollers acting on the bottom lap of the upper conveyor belt, and the supporting rollers of the top lap of the lower conveyor belt, and also showing lateral guides for the wadding passing between Ithe upper and lower conveyor belts.

Fig. l0 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical section through the compression zone.

Fig. 11 is a sectional detail taken on line I I-l I of Fig. 3.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of an uncompressed sheet of wadding as it is fed into the fast conveyor.

Fig. 13 is'a perspective view of a compressed unit of wadding as it travels into and through the slow conveyor.

Referring to the drawings, 5 and I6 designate as entireties front and rear parallel longitudinal side frames, conveniently formed of longitudinal and upright channels riveted or bolted together at their intersections. At their front `ends the side frames are united byI a horizontal platform I1. n and between these side frames are mounted three longitudinally alined conveyors, designated as entireties in Figs. 1 and 2 by i8, I9 and 20. The foremost conveyor I3, which is the fast conveyor, consists of an upper endless belt 2i trained over drum pulleys 22 and 23, and a lower endless belt 24 trained over drum pulleys 25 and 25. To properly tension the belt 24 the-bearings of pulley are mounted `in horizontal slideways 21 supported on the platform I1. It will be observed v that the lower belt 2.4. is much longer than the upper belt 2|. This extended portion of belt 24 provides a long moving feed table on lwhich the -uncompressed pads or bats of crepedl wadding, indicated by A, can be deposited, guided, inspected and prepared 'for compression, so that they will enter the compressor in good condition, the recbetween said conveyor ends. The distance between these plates is slightly larger than the distance between the pad engaging limbs of the fast and slow-conveyor belts to avoid excessive fric tion. The lower plate 51 is supported on a fixed cross bar 53 ofthe frame (Figs. 10 and 11), and

. the upper plate 56 is connected at each end by an angle bracket 59 to an arm- 50 on one of the vertically adjustable shoes 48, so as to partake of the up'and down adjustments of the upper belt and its pulleys.

Referring to Figs. 4 and 8, between the dis charge end of the slow conveyor I9 and' the rel ceiving end` of the magazine conveyor 20 are a plates 6I and 52. Both of these plates are longitudinally slotted, forming grids, as clearly shown tangular pads being laid in end to end contact with each other, as indicated.

The intermediate slow conveyor I3. located just beyond and in alinement with the fast conveyor yIl, consists of an upper endless belt 23 trained` over drum pulleys 29 and 3l, and a lower-endless belt 3| trained over drum pulleys 32 and 33. Belt tightener pulleys 34 and 35 (Fig. 3), having bearings 35 and 31 slidable on and between a pair of the frame uprights and adjustable by screws 38 and 39, maintain the belts 28 and 3i properly ,tensioned. f

As best shown in Figs. 3, 5 and 6, the pulleys of the upper belts of the three conveyors are vertically adjustable, so as to permit the machine to handle pads of .varying thicknesses. Each pad or bat consists of a number of superposed sheets or plies, which, in practice, may be from fifteen to ninety plies, such pads running from one-h'alf inchto three inches in thickness. lThe pintles of the drum spindles are journaled in bearings mounted on shoes that slidably engagethe frame uprights, and .these shoes are suspended and adjusted up anddown by screws 41.`

To cause the pad contacting limbs of the belts of the conveyors to remain in frictional contact throughout with the pads it is essential to maintain them perfectly flat, and this is effected by a group' of closely adjacent xed rollers 43 transversely underlying and supporting the upper limb of the lower belt and journaled in bearings 49 mounted on horizontal bars of the side frames, and by a similar group` of spring pressed rollers 50 that bear on the lower limb of the upper belt. As best shown in Figs. 4, 9 and 10, the end pintles of rollers 5U are journaled'in bearings 5I formed on the lower ends of rods 52 that extend through holes in the flanges of channel bars 53, which channel bars 53, are, in turn,`attached at their ends to the vertically adjustable shoes 45 so as to partake of the up and down adjustments and movements of the upper belt and its pulleys. Coil springs 54 at their upper ends footed on the top flange of bar 53 and at their lower ends on pins 55 in the rods 52 urge the rollers 50 downward.

Between the discharge end of the fast conveyor i3 and the receiving end of the slow conveyor I9 are a pair of ilat, vertically spaced upper and lower transfer plates 56 and 51 bridging the gap in Fig. v8. The lower fixed plate 52 forms the top wall ofjan underlying water tank 53, later described, while the upper plate BI is, by means of cleats 54, attached to and supported by an angle cross bar 65 that is attached at its ends by brackets 65 to the'vertically adjustable shoes 46.

u provided as follows.

A transfer plates I preferably employ a pair of alu- On thefeed section, up to the point where the uncompressed bats pass under the top belt 2i of the fast conveyor, the guides take the form of bars 61 (Figs. 2, 5 and 9) mounted on the inner ends of rods 68 adjustably mounted in clamps 59 on the upper ends of supporting brackets .10 attached to the outer sides of longitudinal channels of the side frames. For guiding the bats as they travel through the compression zone and from one conveyor section to the next between the minum angles 51' (Figs. 2, 3, 5, 6, '1, 8, and 11) adjustably. secured on and crosswise of the ends of the lower transfer plates lby bolts passed through the lower transfer plate and through slots lillA (Fig. 11) in the horizontal limbs of the angles and tightened by wing nuts 1li. The guides 61 and 61 are thus adjustable to diiierent widths of bats. The height of the vertical limb of the angle is about two-thirds the thickness of the wadding, and the receiving ends of the angles are flared outwardly, as best shown in Fig. 5.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 8, a moistener for thecompressed pads, as herein shown, may take the form ofthe water tank 53, into the lower vportion of one end of which leads a pipe 1I connected to a blower or other source of air above atmospheric, pressure. Also entering the lower portion of the tank 63 through the pipe 1i is a steam pipe 12, the horizontal limb of which has apertures 13 through Vwhich the steam enters the body of water to warm the rising air current flowing through the transfer plates 62 and 6| and the compressed pad between them. vThe purpose of this moistener or dampener is to prevent partial re-expansion of the compressed pads before they can be baled or packed. I have found that-both the so-called white pads-which are pads that have not been treated, and the so-called black" pads-which are pads that have been treated with asphalt or other thermo-plastic material as set l 2,303,087 tain extent before they can be baledor packed.

This is especially true of the .untreated white'? pads. 'I'he moistening of the padsas theypass from the slow conveyor to the magazine conveyor effectively prevents this. In lieu of theequipmentv livery end of the fast conveyor passes between the above described for supplying warm moist air, an

air conditioning machine furnishing a supply of warm moist air through a pipe l'eading'into anv empty chamber beneath the slotted transfer plates may used.

Any suitable or approved drive may be em" v ployed for operating the conveyors at the desired speed ratio. A drive herein shown comprises the following. -An electric motor 1I (Fig. 3) through a speed reducer indicated 'at 15 drives a sprocket 1I, and the latter through a chain 11 drives a sprocket 1s (Figs) fast on. oneens spmcue or Y drum 26. Fast on the same end spindle is a gear .19 that,. through intermediate gears 8B and 8|,

drives a gear 82 fast on an end spindle of drum 23. To accommodate this gear transmission to vertical adjustments of drum 23, the intermediate gears 80 and 8| are j ournaled in a yoke 83 that is pivoted at 84 in a bracket 485l secured to one of the channel uprights of .the sideV frame. A link 86 connects the stub shaft ofgear 8| with a collar this compressing region, and to permit a bulk increase during compression, .the belt pressureis` relieved by slightly raising the pulley 23. The

is a sprocket wheel 92 that,'through a chain 93, drives a sprocket 84 fast on a short shaft Il iournaled in a bracket 96 mounted on another chan` nel upright of the rear side` frame. Fast on shaft'95 is a gear 91 (Fig. 5) that drivesa gear 98 having the same number of teeth fast on the rear end spindle of `drum 32.l Secured to sprocket 94 by a hub 99 (Fig. 5) is a sprocket wheel '100, that, through a chain |0|,'drives a sprocket |02 having the same number of teeth fast on the end spindle of drum 29 'I'he ratio of pinion 88 to gear 89 and of sprocket 92 to sprocket 94y determines the relative speeds cf the fast and'slow conveyors. The sprocket chain IM is longenough' to accommodatethe highest position of the upper conveyor I9, and slack inthe chain, in a lower position', is taken up by an adjustable compensating idler sprocket |03 (Fig. '7).

. In Fig. l I indicate a sprocket chain drive IM from-the shaft of speed reducer sprocket 18 to the lower drum 44 of the magazine conveyor 20;'

t1onthe foremost pad, as it emerges from the detransfer plates into the nip ofthe slow conveyor, bywhich its furthery travel is greatly slowed down,

, so that compression of .the first pad takes place between the transfer plates. While the first compressed .pad is .stillin the zone of the transfer plates, the compression 'of the following pad' be-n gin-s, and its compression, and that of all the succeeding pads, takes place gradually and uniformly in the discharge end portionv of the fast l conveyor, as is indicated in Fig. l0. The rearward thrust of the compressed wadding between and beyond the transfer plates is great enough in this region to overcome the friction between the fast belts and the wedding, so that compression of each succeeding pad actually occurs before it enters `the ,zone of thetransfer plates, the

pad contacting surfaces'of the fast (feed) con- -veyor compressing and maintaining the material fed under top and bottom compression for a substantial distance prior to the crowding or axial vcompression of said material..j To prevent excessive scuiling of the wadding surface because of the slippage 4of the belts on the wadding in ordinary bulk control, however, is obtained by raising or' lowering the entire upper belt of the fast section.- These features I have found quite buckling due tothe longitudinal force of compression. As above stated, to avoid'excessivefriction the plates are spacedA slightlyfarther apart than the pad contacting belts of the fast and slow conveyors.

The compressed pad travels through the slow t conveyor section and into the. magazine section without further compression. To avoid any jamming of the pads in the transfer plates be tween the slow conveyor and magazine section, the belts of the. magazine section are caused to travel from three to five percent faster than belts and, since the transmission from the lower to the upper member of this conveyor to accommodate the verticalv adjustments of theA upper member may be the same as that already described in connection with the fast conveyor I8, I have' not duplicated such transmission in the drawings.

Inthe operation of the apparatus the multiply pads or bats are supplied to the compressor in any convenient form, usually in rolls, and each pad or bat may have a length of four hundred feet or more. The long extension of the lower belt of the high speed conveyor permits the pads to be superimposed, inspected, andotherwise `prepared `for compression. 'I'he drawings, however, show the conveyors adjusted to handle one inch thick pads made up of thirty-ply which are not superimposedl upon each other, but are individually compressed. The pads are fed in con.- tinuously, being already cut to the proper length. The forward end of one pad is butted against the rear end of the preceding pad to secure continuous operation.

When the apparatus is first started in opera- The speed ratio of the fast and slow conveyors I may, by the use of suitable gearing, be varied within very considerable limits.

pads emerging from the apparatus have been Vcondensed to about onefsixth of their original length. Itis, however, entirely practical to effect a compression of ten to one or even more.

ordinarny the ratio is about six to one, so that the compressed epened and expanded several months after being finished'show no loss of bulk or expansion proporties. The purpose of this moistener or dampener is to retard the re-expansion of the compressed pads so they can be handled for inspection and packing without becoming too long for the finished package.

The apparatus herein shown and described possesses not only the' advantage over the old plunger type of wadding compressor referred to in the preamble of this specification of greater speed and capacity resulting from continuous operation, but it also makes possible an increase in thickness per ply in both the compressed and expanded materials. In the old type ofbaler or compressor a pad having an average thickness of one inch possessed exactly the same thickness after baling or compressing. In this new type of continuous compress, owing to the springpressed top walls of the passageways through which the pads move, it has been found possible to feed a one inch thick uncompressed pad into the machine and take a one and one-quarter inch thick compressed pad out at the other end. This has two principal advantages. First, it reduces the thickness limitations of the material entering the compressor, thus making it possible to run the creped wadding manufacturing machines faster and to accept more of the material produced thereby in the finished product, and second, it makes possible a greater bulk and further reduction in the initial density after expanding.

I have also found that it is possible to compress a bat of white wadding by apparatus such as that herein disclo-sed without using a marker between the various layers. Crepe wadding may be compared in its action to the wellknown zipper." When plies are once separated the bond cannot be again made by simply laying and pressing the surfaces together.

They must be knit together as they are when wadding is accumulated ona reel, ply by ply. In the case of black wadding the tackiness of the asphaltcauses enough adhesion to make a marker desirable, although n'ot essential. l

Variations and modifications in the structural details may be resorted to within the scope of .the

invention as deflned in the following claims.

I claim: l. In apparatus for effecting endwise compression o1' flat creped wadding pads to convert the same from high bulk and low density to low bulk vand high density, the combination of a feed conand high density, the combination of a feed conveyorand a second conveyor disposed beyond and in alinement with said feed conveyor and moving at a substantially slower speed than said feed conveyor and receiving the pads from the latter, each of said conveyors consisting of upper and lower endless belts between the adjacent laps of which the pads travel in friction contact with said laps, the pad contacting laps of said feed conveyor compressing and maintaining the material fed under top and bottom compression for a substantial distance prior to the crowding or axial compression of said material due to endwise contact thereof with the slower moving material ahead of it, whereby the endwise compression of each pad takes place gradually and uniformly during the passage of the pad through the final portion of said feed conveyor.

3. In combination with the apparatus defined in claim 2, parallel upper and lower transfer plates between which the. endwise compressed pads travel from the discharge end of the feed conveyor to the receiving end of the second conveyor, said transfer plates serving to prevent buckling of the pads while passing from the feed conveyor into the second conveyor.

4. In combination with the apparatus defined in claim 2, parallel upper and lower transfer plates between which the endwise compressed pads travel from the discharge end of the feed conveyor to the receiving end of the second conveyor, `said transfer plates serving to prevent buckling of the pads while passing from the feed conveyor into the second conveyor; the distance between said transfer plates being slightly greater than the distance between the pad engaging laps of the conveyors to avoid excessive friction.

5. In combination with the apparatus defined in claim 2, a magazine conveyor structurally similar to, and disposed beyond and in alinement with, the second conveyor and receiving the compressed pads from said second conveyor, said magazine conveyor serving to give the compressed material time to lose its tendency to rethe compressed pads from said second conveyor,

said magazine conveyor traveling at 'a slightly both of said conveyors including independent fiat passage of the pad throughthe final portion of said feed conveyor.

2. In apparatus for effecting endwise compression of fiat creped wadding pads to convert the same from high bulk and low density to low bulk .greater speedfthan said second conveyor and serving to give the compressed material time ,to lose its tendency to re-expand before its final discharge from the apparatus.

7. In combination with the apparatus dened 4in claim 2, a magazine conveyor structurally similar to, and disposed .beyond and in alinement with, the second conveyor and receiving the compressed pads from said second conveyor, and a pad dampener located between said second conveyor and said magazine conveyor.

8. In combination with' the apparatus defined in claim 2, a magazine conveyor structurally similar to, and disposed beyond and in alinement with, the second conveyor and receiving the compressed pads from said second conveyor, apertured upper and lower transfer plates between said second conveyor and said magazine conveyor, and means for directing a flow of warm moist air a'cross said transfer plates.

RICHARD K. NELLER. 

